Re: Feeling lost without tabs

[Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net>]

Bob Proulx <bob@proulx.com> writes:

> Emanuel Berg wrote:
>> Bob Proulx writes:
>> > I bind C-x C-b to electric-buffer-list.  I couldn't
>> > live without it now.  In MNHO it is soooo much nicer
>> > than list-buffers.
>> 
>> Could you just short say what the differences are and
>> how you experience them to be better? I never used
>> `electric-buffer-list' but it looks kind of the same at
>> first glance.
>
> As others have said it opens a buffer window, places the point at the
> first file in that buffer window.  This shows me a buffer window list
> and focuses there.  I can review my buffer windows.  Hitting SPACE
> selects a buffer window.  If I hit SPACE immediately then I return to
> the same buffer window I left.  Otherwise I can n, n, n down to the
> buffer window I want and SPACE to select it.  The newly selected
> buffer now replaces the previously selected buffer window.  The new
> emacs window configuration with regard to split windows is the same
> for all other windows but the currently focused window only is changed
> to another buffer.
>
> I had previously said C-n C-p to move through the menu list.  But of
> course n and p also work.  I usually already have my finger on the
> control so had not really taken notice of the flexibility.
>
> With list-buffers the buffer list splits the current frame into two
> windows and puts the buffer window list into the other window.
> Whatever buffer I had in the other split window is now gone.  In order
> to focus on the buffer list I need to either C-x 0 or C-x o.  Then in
> the *Buffer list* window I use n or p to position on the desired
> buffer.  Then press f or o or any of a variety of keys to select that
> buffer in either the current window or the other window.
>
> The result is that with list-buffers it is disruptive to the window
> layout that I have active at the moment I want to switch one of the
> windows to a different buffer.  Plus there are more steps needed to
> perform the same function.
>
> With electric-buffer-list bound: C-x C-b n n SPACE
>
> With buffer-list bound: C-x C-b C-o n n f C-x 4 b C-x 4 b C-x 4 b
>
> The C-x 4 b times three is the finger memory way I rotate through two
> windows in order to swap their contents.  Because using list-buffers
> splits the current frame or replaces the other window in the frame it
> causes order of windows to be reversed from the previous arrangement.
> That requires a window buffer swap in order to restore the desired
> ordering.  For example I prefer a code window above and a gdb debugger
> window below and not the other way around.  Maybe there is a better
> way to use list-buffers that avoids that problem but I just looked
> again and I didn't see it.  The window order issue is completely
> avoided by using electric-buffer-list since that only affects the
> current window and does not modify any others.
>
> I hadn't been aware of buffer-menu.  Playing with it now shows that it
> works very similarly to electric-buffer-list.  I think anyone using
> either buffer-menu or electric-buffer-list are in the same group and
> want the same thing and could use either of those almost
> interchangeably.  I assume electric-buffer-list came first and
> buffer-menu duplicated the behavior since I have been using
> electric-buffer-list for a very many years and had not ever heard of
> buffer-menu before?  That is my assumption until I learn otherwise.

buffer menu first.
I think you'll find it's the default binding.
Something that should have changed a long time ago.



-- 
Dan Espen